Database

Database, any collection of data organized for storage in a computer memory and designed for easy access by authorized users. The data may be in the form of text, numbers, or encoded graphics. Since their first, experimental appearance in the 1950s, databases have become so important in industrial societies that they can be found in almost every field of information. Government, military, and industrial databases are often highly restricted, and professional databases are usually of limited interest. A wide range of commercial, governmental, and nonprofit databases are available to the general public, however, and may be used by anyone who owns or has access to the equipment that they require.

Small databases were first developed or funded by the U.S. government for agency or professional use. In the 1960s, some databases became commercially available, but their use was funneled through a few so-called research centers that collected information inquiries and handled them in batches. Online databases—that is, databases available to anyone who could link up to them by computer—first appeared in the 1970s. For the home user, the equipment required may include a computer terminal and a connection to the Internet or other network, including a telephone and a modem, or a digital cable line. Modified television sets can also be equipped to receive some specifically designed database services. In some older systems, the user dialed the telephone number of a service, provided a password code for identification and billing, and typed in questions to a chosen database on the terminal’s keyboard. Databases available over the Internet and as Web pages on the World Wide Web can also require signing in and passwords. The data received may be displayed on a terminal screen, copied or downloaded to the computer, or printed out.